Thirteen years ago, somebody had some local swampland to sell.

Nothing nefarious about that, though.

The buyer, RLPS Architects, had its eyes wide open.

RLPS saw perfectly well that the 40-acre parcel at Oregon Pike and Valleybrook Drive was mostly wetlands and floodplain.

It also noticed, however, that the north side of the Manheim Township parcel had 10 acres that were suitable for construction.

So the firm proposed building a new office on the developable portion, flanked by open space kept in its natural state.

In 2000, the township commissioners approved a rezoning of the tract to make the venture possible.

Then RLPS set aside the innovative plan for more than a decade.

Now the architectural firm is going forward with the new office, spurred by highly attractive construction pricing and loan rates.

"It's a good time to build, if you can pull a project together," said Michael J. Martin, the firm's managing partner. "We didn't want to miss the boat."

RLPS intends to create a "signature" structure, he said, that showcases the firm's talents to the thousands of motorists who pass the site daily.

"It's a very exciting opportunity," Martin said.

Costing more than $8 million for the land, building and site work, the 250 Valleybrook Drive project will give RLPS significantly more space.

The project also will improve the energy efficiency of the firm's operation.

At the same time, RLPS is making sure that the office's appearance "ties nicely" into the wetlands and woods around it, Martin said.

Like its present office at 1910 Harrington Drive, 3 miles away, the new office will combine stone and wood on the facade, under a standing-seam roof.

Numerous windows and glass walls, another feature of the Harrington Drive structure, will be included on Valleybrook Drive, too, to take advantage of the views and natural light.

The new building, however, will incorporate advances in energy efficiency that weren't available in 1987, when RLPS moved to Harrington Drive from North Lime Street.

They include a state-of-the-art geothermal heat pump and ventilation and air-filtration systems, Martin said. Top-end insulation and a trellis system will add to efficiency and comfort.

The 21,600-square-foot office will give RLPS' 58 employees about a third more space than its current 16,000-square-foot office.

"We need more room," Martin said. "I don't think it was ever envisioned that we'd grow this big."

The distinctive feature of the new property, of course, is its wetlands and floodplain.

To RLPS, those aspects are part of the property's appeal, not a drawback.

As an RLPS official put it in 2000, "The beauty of that site is the 30 acres" of wetlands and floodplain.

An expanse of wetlands between the new office and Oregon Pike will provide a natural buffer.

RLPS will construct a paved trail across the wetlands and floodplain on the site's south side to link to the township's "linear park" system.

Martin declined to disclose the cost of the new office.

But township permits and county records put the cost at more than $8 million, including the $600,000 site purchase in 1999.

Warfel Construction is the project's general contractor. Construction started late last year. Completion is set for year-end.

RLPS (formerly Reese, Lower, Patrick & Scott) traces its roots to 1954, when Haak & Kaufman was founded in Myerstown.

It opened a downtown Lancaster office in 1965, then consolidated operations here in 1975.

Reflecting the death of founders Monroe Haak and S. Dale Kaufman, and the arrival of new partners, the firm changed its name to Reese, Lower, Patrick & Scott in 1982.

tmekeel@lnpnews.com